I am a master in India

Chapter 277 Northern Bandits, Southern Thieves

Jayalalita has always been very careful to protect his privacy, and there is very little media coverage of this aspect of his life.

Thus, a somewhat strange scene unfolded: the image of the old woman was everywhere, yet few people knew about her deeds outside of politics.

She is unmarried and childless, and for all these years she has lived in a downtown apartment with her female assistant.

Apart from family members like Kavia who had the opportunity to visit, all other visitors were declined.

Ron got a lucky break this time, as he was able to catch a glimpse of the mysterious female chief minister's residence.

The house was decorated quite luxuriously; upon opening the door, one was immediately greeted by a dazzling display of gold.

The chandelier is gold, the sofa is gold, and the corners of the glass table are inlaid with real gold.

The living room curtains are decorated with clusters of golden tassels at both ends.

The ceiling light is also shaped like a pair of long golden branches, with each leaf supporting a 100-watt bulb.

Everything was glowing, a golden light.

For the first two minutes after entering the apartment, Ron was dazzled by the golden light shining from all directions.

He was soon drawn to the huge shoe cabinet by the door, which was taller than a person and occupied the entire entryway along the wall.

Ron doesn't understand luxury goods, but he recognizes the logos of brands like Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Prada, and Hermès.

A rough count revealed at least several hundred pairs of shoes in the shoe cabinet, including sandals, leather shoes, and slippers—all luxury items.

Oh, and the bags too, they also have a special place for being kept.

Ron didn't seem to feel anything, but Kavia could hardly take her eyes off it.

"Pick a few to take home later if you like them," Jayalalita said as she came out of the room.

She abandoned her usual simple image in front of the camera, not only changing into an expensive sari, but also wearing various gold jewelry, covering her wrists, neck, and ears.

The most extravagant item is the belt, made of gold and weighing one kilogram. It is adorned with over a thousand diamonds, emeralds, and rubies, and features a dancing peacock carved in the center.

Ron felt as if what was walking toward him was not a person, but a moving display case of luxury goods.

“These are your things, Auntie.” Kavia whispered a few words in her ear with a grin, and Jayalalita nodded in satisfaction.

“Mother.” Ron also went over and touched her feet in a gesture of respect.

It was so damn luxurious that he was stunned and couldn't open his eyes.

“We’re all family.” She reached out and put her hand on Ron’s shoulder, indicating that there was no need for formalities.

"We owe everything here in Tamil to you."

“That’s nothing,” she waved her hand. “Take good care of Kavia.”

"of course."

Just then, someone knocked on the door. A servant went to answer it, and soon a young couple in their twenties were brought in.

"Mother!" The young man rushed over, wishing he could kneel at Jayalarita's feet.

"Get up! How many times have I told you? You're about to start your own family, you need to act like an adult."

"Mom, I will always be your son."

Ron was taken aback and looked at Kavia. "Didn't you say your aunt was unmarried and childless?"
Kavia also looked confused, clearly not knowing who the young man in front of her was.

Jayalalita was holding another girl's hand and talking to her. She smiled and casually gave the girl several pieces of gold jewelry she was wearing.

“Oh, by the way, this is Sudakaram, my godson,” Jayalalita introduced them to each other.

Kavia was puzzled, so she asked a few questions indirectly.

This Sudakaram is the son of one of Jayalalita's friends, who passed away this year, so he was adopted.

Ron couldn't help but think that this so-called adopted son was a cunning fellow. No wonder, since he had been staring at the luxury goods ever since he entered the room.

However, Jayalalita doted on him, not only giving his girlfriend several pieces of gold jewelry but also letting them take whatever they wanted.

"Lamu will be getting married in Madras this September, and you should all come."

“Okay.” Kavia and Ron nodded.

They had to give him this much face, even if neither of them liked the adopted son.

He even copied those politicians and got his mother's portrait tattooed on his arm.

Jayalalita was very pleased, and in just a few words, he transferred three million rupees from the Tamil State cultural department's budget to him.

Sudakaram and his girlfriend are both in the entertainment industry. They founded a media company that receives subsidies from the government.

Well, so this is a vampire.

After a quick lunch, Ron and Kavia didn't linger. The two seemed afraid they'd compete for attention, keeping their mouths shut the entire time, not giving a single moment to speak.

Ron didn't care about any of that; he didn't have time.

"Are you going back to Mumbai?" Kavia asked after leaving the apartment.

"To be precise, it's a trip to Gujarat."

"Ok?"

“I promised the local BJP that I would campaign for him during the election.”

The general election in Gujarat has begun, and the results are expected to be announced in March.

This time, their campaign theme is "Economy. Gujarat," clearly indicating that economic development is of paramount importance.

An industrialist like Ron is bound to become the focus of local media attention.

The BJP is very good at creating momentum, and it released the news early on that Suer Electric would be located in Gujarat.

For the sake of his grand money-making plan, Ron also has to show his face at crucial moments.

"I'm sorry I didn't have time to visit your parents this time."

“Your career is more important,” Kavia shrugged. “They live in the suburbs, far from here.”

Her family also owns a manor, but it's not in the city; it's dozens of kilometers away.

“Oh, and your aunt’s adopted son, I feel she spoils him too much. If word gets out, the media will make a big deal out of it,” Ron warned. “You know, her identity is very sensitive. She’ll never marry, let alone have children; her adopted son is her only solace.”

"It would be best to remind her," Ron sighed.

"I will."

Jayalarita's independent woman persona greatly helped her rise to the top as a Brahmin in a state that resented high castes.

When she first entered politics, she was treated harshly by her political enemies, and people sympathized with her.

Her status as unmarried and childless dispelled many people's concerns; at least someone as helpless as her wouldn't foster any hereditary politics.

In short, this identity both made her and bound her. Gaining power comes at a price.

Ron didn't want his newly acquired powerful ally to crumble so soon.

His Suer Electric Factory has just started construction, and the port has just been acquired. The foundation is not yet solid and it will take time.

Jayalalita may seem to be deliberately keeping a low profile, but her occasional displays of greed and extravagant spending will eventually lead to her downfall.

After all, this was her first time being elected Chief Minister, so it was inevitable that she would become somewhat complacent.

She was a contradictory person; you could say she was corrupt, but on the other hand, she firmly believed that leaders should govern effectively.

For example, in developing industry, she was willing to use free land policies to invite foreign car companies to build factories.

As for other industries, she would take a kickback at the beginning, such as agreeing on the rebate percentage when signing the contract, or asking the company to give her a sum of money before the factory was built.

Once she received the kickback, she would instruct her subordinates to proceed with the project normally and require them to complete the tasks with high quality and quantity.

Frankly speaking, this approach is acceptable to politicians, businessmen, and the public; everyone is happy with it.

Even Ron thought that if officials could all do this, that would be quite good.

Don't forget, this is India.

Compared to the banditry of North India, officials in South India are more like thieves.

One is eager to devour all the benefits, while the other, within the limits of what voters tolerate, secretly pockets the money.

Ron spent more than half a month in Tamil Nadu and returned to Mumbai in February.

Days unfold like lotus petals unfurling at dawn in summer, then pass in a flurry of frantic busyness.

Before he knew it, it was already 95. Ron seemed to have never been idle, not at all like a lazy Indian.

I haven't really enjoyed my villa in Mumbai yet; I've spent most of my time in the Sur area.

The picture tube production line, which had been under construction since November last year, has finally started production.

From now on, over 90% of the parts for Suer TVs can be produced in-house, eliminating the risk of being held back by the supply chain.

Of course, the biggest benefit is that each TV set saves $8 in costs, and the profit per 14-inch TV increases to 2100 rupees.

However, two production lines are not enough; they need to be doubled to barely meet the production capacity of the Mumbai factory.

The 18-inch picture tube line is also in preparation and is expected to go into production in the first half of the year. At that time, Suer Electric will have acquired all the major models of black and white TVs.

每个月11万台产量中，有10万台是14寸产品贡献。18寸电视机刚投产不久，暂时产量每月只有1万台左右。

But there's no need to worry, as two more 18-inch production lines will be launched next month, easily doubling the capacity.

In addition, the newly built 18-inch color TV production line is also undergoing intensive debugging, which is several months ahead of schedule.

There's no way around it; even at a high price of 18000 rupees, the color TVs produced by the joint venture between Suer Electric and NEC are still selling well.

As Maharashtra's Commerce Minister Boujibar said, although India announced its accession to the WTO, its tariff barriers have not disappeared.

The government's statement is that tariffs will be gradually reduced over the next five years to give local businesses time to adapt.

The news was met with jubilation from all walks of life.

The prices of imported goods have not decreased, so people still have no choice but to opt for cheaper domestic products.

This was good news for the joint venture, and the newly launched 18-inch color TV sold out in no time.

Compared to the high price of 25000 rupees for imported original goods, 18000 rupees is much more attractive.

SUR-NEC uses Japanese technology, so the quality is definitely guaranteed.

So, under this strange mindset, Ron's hybrid goods, which he originally thought would have a lukewarm response, actually sold out very quickly.

He was also hoping that NEC would abandon this production line, and then Suer Electric would get it for free.

Now look what's happened! That Xiao Tian is jumping around excitedly, shouting "Ban Zai!" all the while.

What can Ron do? Now that the market has been identified, it's time to press his advantage.

If the profits from joint venture color TVs are to be shared with others, then it's better to keep them for yourself.

He placed a massive order with Dongda for twenty color TV production lines, to be delivered in batches, including both 14-inch and 18-inch lines.

Production will begin first in Mumbai, with Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, and Tamil expected to follow within a year.

He wasn't the only one preparing for a major undertaking; Xiao Tian was too.

"Mr. Sue!"

"Congratulations, Mr. Oda," Ron said with a smile.

"You're back now! Hurry! The workshop has stopped operating, you need to make a decision immediately."

"What's going on? Didn't I tell them to produce at full capacity?"

"We're out of spare parts; we've used up all our picture tubes," Oda said anxiously.

"That's your problem. I remember you were in charge of communicating about the imported parts."

"You haven't paid for the last batch yet, and this time you want even more, 20,000!"

"Didn't we already pay the deposit?" Ron asked, puzzled.

"That's just a deposit! A deposit isn't the full amount!" Xiaotian exclaimed angrily.

"Don't rush, let me explain slowly, let me tell you slowly." Ron gestured for him to calm down.

(End of this chapter)